Soft Goodbyes

So, Brad and I started our day off with a very sad phone call.

Brad's grandfather, James "Pop" Gardner, passed away this morning, after battling through a very tough few months of being ill. Thank God we have peace in knowing where he is right now- celebrating in heaven with his wife, "Nannie", who we lost 12/26/2006.

Here in Chicago yesterday, we had some of the prettiest snow- it was falling softly, and was so pure white...very picturesque. In a way, I'd like to think of this as soft tears of excitement coming from the heavens. Excited to be getting such an amazing person as Pop.

He left such a strong impression on everyone he met- and I will never forget the impact he had on his family, especially Brad. He was such a strong Christian- always letting his faith be known to whomever he came in contact with. I will miss seeing him and hearing his greeting..."Hello, Sydney". I guess it was his nickname for me, but it was original from him, so it always brought a smile to my face. He was special to everyone- even our dog Sadie.

I will never forget Christmas of 2005, when we all sat down on Christmas evening for dinner at the Flaherty's. Brad and I were sitting across from Pop and Nannie, and we noticed Pop's plate getting less full, but him not eating. Then, Nannie said, "Stop Jim." We realized Sadie, the obedient begger that she is, was planted right next to Pop under the table, graciously accepting pieces of ham being fed to her. He had become Sadie's best friend during that visit, and I know he loved it!!!

Love you Pop!